{{tnr}}'''William J. "Bill" Pascrell, Jr.''' (b. January 25, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey) is a [[Democratic]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[New Jersey]]. Pascrell was first elected to the House by voters from [[New Jersey's 8th Congressional District]]. Due to [[Redistricting in New Jersey|New Jersey's redistricting]], Pascrell ran in the newly redrawn [[New Jersey's 9th Congressional District|9th Congressional District]] in 2012 and won.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/House/2012/ ''Politico'', "2012 House Race Results," accessed November 6, 2012]</ref>

{{tnr}}'''William J. "Bill" Pascrell, Jr.''' (b. January 25, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey) is a [[Democratic]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[New Jersey]]. Pascrell was first elected to the House by voters from [[New Jersey's 8th Congressional District]]. Due to [[Redistricting in New Jersey|New Jersey's redistricting]], Pascrell ran in the newly redrawn [[New Jersey's 9th Congressional District|9th Congressional District]] in 2012 and won.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/House/2012/ ''Politico'', "2012 House Race Results," accessed November 6, 2012]</ref>

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Pascrell is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Pascrell was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He earned a B.A. in journalism from Fordham University in 1959 and an M.A. in philosophy in 1961.[4]
After earning his degrees, Pascrell worked as both a high school history teacher and an adjunct professor at Farleigh Dickenson University. He served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve beginning in 1961 and received an honorary discharge in 1967. He also served as president of the Paterson Board of Education and as a member of Passaic County Community College’s Board of Trustees.[5][6]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Pascrell's academic, professional and political career:[4]

2011-2012

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[9] For more information pertaining to Pascrell's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[10]

National security

NDAA

Pascrell voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[11]

DHS Appropriations

Pascrell voted in opposition of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[11]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Pascrell voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[11]

CISPA (2013)

Pascrell voted in opposition of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[12] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[11]

Economy

Farm Bill

Pascrell voted against the Farm Bill on July 11, 2013. The bill passed in a 216-208 vote.[13] The bill passed included farm policy, but did not include food stamps.[14]

King Amendment

Pascrell signed a letter sent to Collin Peterson in August 2013, asking him to keep Steve King's amendment out of the final Farm Bill.[15] The "Protect Interstate Commerce Act" amendment prevents states from applying their own laws on agricultural products to agricultural products from another state.[16]. King introduced the amendment in response to a law in California, requiring a larger size cage for egg-producing chickens. King represents Iowa, which is a large egg producer.

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[17] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[18] Pascrell voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[17]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[19] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Pascrell voted against HR 2775.[20]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Pascrell voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States.[21] The vote largely followed party lines.[22]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Pascrell has voted against all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[23]

October 2013

Pascrell slammed House Republicans in October 2013 for not cooperating on Obamacare, yelling at members during a House Ways and Means Committee. He said, "You can sit there and say that you had a legitimate alternative after these years? We’ve gone through 44 votes, 48 votes now of you trying to dismantle this legislation! You call that cooperation? I don’t! I don’t that call that cooperation!"[24]

Social issues

Abortion

Pascrell did not vote on HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill is to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[25]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Pascrell voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[26]

2013

Pascrell briefly considered running for Governor of New Jersey in 2013. He quashed most rumors that he wanted to challenge incumbent Chris Christie in his bid for re-election when he told a reporter, "I'm not pursuing that position," in a January interview.[28][29] He announced his endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Barbara Buono soon thereafter.[30]

2012

Pascrell ran for re-election in 2012. Because of New Jersey's redistricting, Pascrell faced fellow Democratic representative Steve Rothman in the June 5 primary. Pascrell currently represents New Jersey's 8th District, but redistricting has put a significant chunk of Pascrell's territory in the new 9th District, along with some of Rothman's territory.[31] Pascrell defeated Rothman in the primary and faced Republican Shmuley Boteach and Independent E. David Smith in the November general election.[32][33]

Redistricting

The 8th District was eliminated as a result of redistricting in New Jersey following the 2010 census results. Rothman's territory was split into the new 9th District, which is Pascrell's new district, and Republican Scott Garrett's 5th. Rather than face Garrett in the Republican-leaning new 5th District, Rothman chose to challenge his Democratic colleague Pascrell. Pascrell resented this move, saying Rothman was "running from fights with the radical right."[35]

Ideological similarities

According to Roll Call, there was little policy or ideological difference between Rothman and Pascrell, so voters were left to choose a candidate based on personality and location. The newly drawn 9th District encompasses a variety of demographics, and the Roll Call article states that Pascrell was strong in the working class Passaic County, while Rothman was more at home in the white-collar Bergen County. The 9th Disrict also includes Hudson County, which could have gone either way.[36]

TV ads

Rothman came under criticism for a TV ad his campaign ran against Pascrell. The New Jersey Star-Ledger editorial board wrote that Rothman made "cheap shots" against Pascrell, and said a fact-check showed the ad's claims were false.[37]

Israel

In early 2012, a group of New Jersey synagogues encouraged their members to vote for Rothman in the primary, citing his pro-Israel stance. This prompted American Arab Forum President Aref Assaf to write an Op-Ed against what he described as putting another country above the U.S. in voting decisions. Rothman responded that he does put America first, and Pascrell distanced himself from Assaf's comments.[38]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Bill Pascrell, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

On November 2, 2010, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Roland Straten (R) and Raymond Giangrasso (Independent) in the general election.[39]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

62.7%

88,478

Republican

Roland Straten

36.1%

51,023

Independent

Raymond Giangrasso

1.2%

1,707

Total Votes

141,208

2008

On November 4, 2008, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Roland Sstraten (R) and Derek DeMarco (L) in the general election.[40]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

71.1%

159,279

Republican

Roland Straten

28.2%

63,107

Libertarian

Derek DeMarco

0.7%

1,600

Total Votes

223,986

2006

On November 7, 2006, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jose M. Sandoval (R) and Lou Jasikoff (L) in the general election.[41]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2006

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

70.9%

97,568

Republican

Jose M. Sandoval

28.4%

39,053

Libertarian

Lou Jasikoff

0.7%

1,018

Total Votes

137,639

2004

On November 2, 2004, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated George Ajjan (R) and Joseph A. Fortunato (Independent/Green) in the general election.[42]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2004

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

69.5%

152,001

Republican

George Ajjan

28.7%

62,747

Independent/Green

Joseph A. Fortunato

1.9%

4,072

Total Votes

218,820

2002

On November 5, 2002, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jared Silverman (R) and Joseph A. Fortunato (Independent/Green) in the general election.[43]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2002

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

66.8%

88,101

Republican

Jared Silverman

30.6%

40,318

Independent/Green

Joseph A. Fortunato

2.6%

3,400

Total Votes

131,819

2000

On November 7, 2000, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Anthony Fusco, Jr. (R), Joseph A. Fortunato (I) and Viji Sargis (I) in the general election.[44]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 2000

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

67%

134,074

Republican

Anthony Fusco, Jr.

30.3%

60,606

Independent

Joseph A. Fortunato

2.2%

4,469

Independent

Viji Sargis

0.5%

983

Total Votes

200,132

1998

On November 3, 1998, Bill Pascrell won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Matthew Kirnan (R), Jeffery Levine (I), Stephen Spinosa (I), Bernard George (I), Thomas Paine Caslander (I) and Jose Aravena (I) in the general election.[45]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 1998

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrellincumbent

62.1%

81,068

Republican

Matthew Kirnan

35.4%

46,289

Independent

Jeffery Levine

0.6%

804

Independent

Stephen Spinosa

0.6%

762

Independent

Bernard George

0.6%

722

Independent

Thomas Paine Caslander

0.5%

625

Independent

Jose Aravena

0.2%

318

Total Votes

130,588

1996

On November 5, 1996, Bill Pascrell won election to the United States House. He defeated William Martini (R) and Jeffery Levine (I) in the general election.[46]

U.S. House, New Jersey District 8 General Election, 1996

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Bill Pascrell

51.2%

98,861

Republican

William Martini

48%

92,609

Independent

Jeffery Levine

0.8%

1,621

Total Votes

193,091

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Pascrell is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Pascrell raised a total of $8,312,687 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 23, 2013.[47]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Pascrell missed 477 of 11,061 roll call votes from January 1997 to April 2013. This amounts to 4.3%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[60]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Pascrell paid his congressional staff a total of $934,731 in 2011. Overall, New Jersey ranks 42nd in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[61]

Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Pascrell's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,794,039 and $4,188,000. That averages to $2,991,019.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Pascrell ranked as the 107th most wealthy representative in 2012.[62]

Bill Pascrell Yearly Net Worth

Year

Average Net Worth

2012

$2,991,019.50

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Information with respect to Pascrell's votes in 2012 is unavailable.[63]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Pascrell was tied with one other member of the U.S. House of Representatives ranking 121st in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[64]

Voting with party

2013

Bill Pascrell voted with the Democratic Party 95.5% of the time, which ranked 62nd among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[65]

Personal

Pascrell has three sons and resides in Paterson with his wife, Elsie.[6]